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A  Call  of  Attention 
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A  CALL  OF  ATTENTION 
TO  THE  BEHAISTS  OR 
BABISTS  OF  AMERICA 

BY  AUGUST  J.  STENSTRAND 


.JUiv!    2  1914 


A  CALL  OF  ATTENTION 

TO  THE  BEHAISTS 

OR  BABISTS  OF 

AMERICA 


AUGUST  J.   STENSTRAND 


•WHOSO  LOVETH  INSTRUCTION  LOVETH   KNOWLEDGE:   BUT  HE  THAT 
HATETH  REPROOF  IS  BRUTISH."— PROV.   XII,    1. 


A  Call  of  Attention  to  the  Behaists 
or  Babists  of  America 

By    August    J.    Stenstrand 


The  first  open  notice  of  this  separation  which  took  place 
between  the  Behaists,  and  the  Babists  or  Ezelists  was  at  a  meet- 
ing in  Masonic  Temple,  hall  912,  on  May  6th,  1906,  when  I  was 
by  an  unanimous  vote,  voted  out  of  the  ''First  Central  Church 
of  the  Manifestation"  belonging  to  the  Society  of  the  Behaists 
of  America. 

In  June,  1906,  I  sent  to  some  of  the  Behaists  in  New  York, 
Kenosha  and  Chicago  three  "abstracts"  taken  from  the 
utterances  of  the  Bab,  with  the  following  letter: — 

Dear  Sir!  I  will  inform  you  that  another  schism  has  taken 
place  between  Dr.  I.  G.  Kheiralla's  Behaists  followers.  And 
the  obstacles  for  this  separation  are  two,  first:  ''Different  opin- 
ions concerning  the  relationship  between  the  Manifestation  and 
the  Infinite  God."  Second:  "Who  is  the  True  Manifestation 
since  there  is  many  claimers. " 

I  will  send  you  in  this  letter  a  few  abstracts  taken  from 
the  utterances  of  the  Bab  himself  concerning  these  two  ques- 
tions and  you  can  read  them  and  then  judge  for  yourself. 

THE  FIRST  ABSTRACT. 
(Trans,  by  E.   G.  Browne.) 

NOMINATION    OF    SUBH-I-EZEL    AS    THE    BAB'S    SUC- 
CESSOR. 

("Copied  by  Subh-i-Ezel  from  the  original  document  in  his 
possession,  which  is  in  the  Bab's  handwriting.     See  Journal 


A  Call  of  Attention 


THE  THIRD  ABSTRACT. 
(The  Bab's  teaching  concerning  the  Infinite  God.    See  Jour- 
nal of  the  Royal  Asiatic  Society,  for  1889,  pp.  913-14-15.) 
(The  Text.     Trans,  by  E.  G.  Browne.) 

*'The  Unchanging  and  Unchangeable  Essence  of  God  has 
existed  from  Eternity  of  Eternities  in  unapproachable  Glory 
and  Purity.  No  one  has  known  It  as  It  should  be  known,  and 
no  one  has  praised  It  as  It  should  be  praised.  It  is  above  all 
Names,  and  free  from  all  Likenesses  or  Similitudes.  All  things 
are  known  by  It,  while  It  is  more  glorious  than  that  It  should 
be  known  through  aught  else.  From  It  was  produced  Its 
Creation,  which  has  no  beginning  in  time,  and  shall  have  no 
end.  This  Emanation  or  Creation  was  produced  by  the  Primal 
Will,  and  though  eternal  in  duration,  is  subsequent  to  the  Latter 
as  to  causation.  Since  it  is  impossible  for  created  beings  to 
know  the  Divine  Essence,  the  Primal  Will  has,  for  their  guid- 
ance and  instruction,  incarnated  Itself  from  time  to  time  in 
a  human  form.  These  incarnations  are  known  as  'Prophets,* 
and  there  have  been  endless  number  of  them  in  the  Past,  as 
there  will  be  in  the  Future.  That  which  spoke  in  all  the 
prophets  of  the  Past,  now  speaks  through  the  Bab,  and  will 
speak  through  'Him  whom  God  shall  manifest'  and  after  him 
through  others,  for  there  is  no  cessation  to  these  Manifestations. 
The  Primal  Will  is  like  the  Sun  which  rises  and  sets  day  after 
day,  but  is  always  the  same  Sun  in  reality,  though  we  may,  in 
common  language,  speak  of  Adam,  Noah,  Moses,  David,  Jesus, 
and  Muhammad  as  distinct,  in  truth  that  which  spoke  in  each 
of  them  was  One,  viz.  the  Primal  Will.  This  is  the  meaning 
of  the  saying  of  Muhammad,  'But  as  to  prophets,  I  (am  them).' 
The  last  manifestation  of  the  Primal  AA^ill  took  place  1270  years 
ago,  and  it  has  now  incarnated  Itself  in  Mirza  Ali  IMuhammad, 
the  Nukta,  and  speaks  through  him.  In  each  manifestation 
news  has  been  given  of  the  following  one.  Thus  the  Jews  were 
told  to  expect  a  Messiah,  but  when  he  came  as  Jesus  they  re- 
jected him,  because  they  imagined  his  coming  in  a  different 
way,  and  one  which  was  impossible,  and  contrary  to  nature. 


A  Call  of  Attention 


So  again  the  followers  of  Christ  were  told  to  expect  His 
return,  yet  when  He  returned  as  Muhammad  they  for  the  most 
part  failed  to  recognize  Him,  and  are  to  this  day  expecting 
His  coming,  although  more  than  a  thousand  years  have  elapsed 
since  that  took  place.  So  likewise  the  Muhammadans  are  ex- 
pecting the  coming  of  the  Imam  Mahdi,  and  continue  to  pray 
for  that  day  when  he  shall  appear  and,  whenever  they  mention 
his  name,  add  the  formula  'May  God  hasten  his  gladness;'  yet 
now  he  has  come,  with  verses  and  signs,  they  refuse  to  recog- 
nize him,  because  the  manner  of  his  coming  does  not  correspond 
with  their  own  vain  imaginings  of  how  he  ought  to  come. 

**By  the  Sun,  for  instance,  is  meant  the  Primal  Will,  mani- 
festino-  itself  in  the  Prophet  of  the  Age,  as  before  explained. 
By  the  Moon  and  stars  are  meant  his  immediate  companions 
and  Disciples." 

Now  latter  round  in  the  summer  1906,  I  was  distributing  the 
following  two  abstracts. 

THE  FIRST  ABSTRACT. 

(Taken  from  ''A  Travellers  Narrative,"  pp.  352-3-4-5.) 

(The  Text.    Trans,  by  E.  G.  Browne.) 

"Now  during  the  two  last  years  [of  the  Bab's  mission], 
when  the  five  years  cycle  of  the  'Minor  Resurrection'  had  come 
to  an  end,  the  manifestation  of  His  Highness  the  Eternal  (Haz- 
rat-i-Ezel)  took  place.  And  he,  being  then  nineteen  years  of 
age,  appeared  in  the  hamlet  of  Takur  in  [the  district  of]  Nur 
of  Mazandaran,  and  began  with  untaught  tongue  to  utter  the 
Innate  Word  and  spontaneous  verses.  When  the  first  letter 
from  him  was  conveyed  by  means  of  Mirza  Ali  Sayyah  to  His 
Highness  the  Point  [i.  e.  the  Bab],  the  latter  instantly  pros- 
trated himself  to  the  earth  in  thankfulness,  saying,  'Blessed 
be  God  for  this  mighty  Luminary  which  hath  dawned  and  this 
noble  Spathe  which  hath  arisen  in  the  night,'  testifying  of  him 
that  he  spoke  spontaneously  and  by  the  Self -Shining  Light, 
which  is  the  Innate  Word,  the  Natural  Reason,  the  Holy  Spirit, 
the  Immediate  Knowledge,  the  Sufficing  Light,  or,  after  another 
manner  of  speech,  by  Inspiration,  Revelation,  and  Illumination. 


8  -I   Call  of  Attention 


(( 


'At  this  time  His  Highness  the  Point  was  imprisoned  on  the 
mountain  of  Maku,  and  he  therefore  sent  the  writing  of  His 
Highness  the  Eternal  for  each  of  the  Letters  of  the  Living 
and  the  chief  believers,  testifying  to  his  [i.  e.  Hazrat-i-Ezel's] 
innate  capacity,  and  calling  him  by  the  names  of  'Fruit  of  the 
Beyan,'  'Morning  of  Eternity,'  'Countenance,'  'Splendour  of 
God,'  'Mirror,'  'Crystal,'  'Essence  of  Sweet  Perfumes,'  'Sun 
of  Eternity,'  'Second  Point,'  'One,'  'the  Living,  the  Speaking,' 
and  sundry  other  titles.  Having  designated  Hazrat-i-Ezel  as 
his  successor,  he  made  over  to  him  generally  and  particularly 
all  the  affairs  of  the  Beyan,  even  transferring  to  him  the 
[right  of]  disclosing  the  eight  '.paths'  of  the  Beyanic  ordi- 
nances which  had  [hitherto]  remained  concealed  within  the 
Divine  Volition  (whereon  their  disclosure  depended),  in  case 
the  time  should  demand  this. 

*'In  short,  during  the  two  last  years  [of  the  Bab's  life  and 
mission]  all  that  emanated  from  the  Supreme  Pen  bore  ref- 
erence to  His  Highness  the  Fruit  [of  the  Beyan],  whom  he 
[i.  e.  the  Bab]  recommended  to  all  the  people  of  the  Beyan, 
saying  that  should  they  bring  sorrow,  even  to  the  extent  of 
the  mention  of  aught,  on  his  holy  heart,  all  their  good  works 
and  devotions  would  become  as  scattered  dust.  Of  the  words 
of  His  Highness  the  Point  [i.  e.  the  Bab]  still  extant  at  the 
present  day,  which  bears  reference  to  the  Fruit  [of  the  Beyan, 
i.  e.  Snbh-i-Ezel]  exceeds  20,000  verses,  not  counting  what  has 
disappeared.  And  for  ten  years  after  [the  death  of]  His  High- 
ness the  Point  all  the  people  of  the  Beyan  were  unanimous 
and  agreed  as  to  the  bestowal  of  the  successorship  on  His  High- 
ness the  Eternal  [i.  e.  Subh-i-Ezel] .  And  he  abode  for  more 
than  two  years  in  Teheran  and  Shimiran,  whence  he  departed 
into  Mazandaran,  whence  again  (because  men  had  been  stirred 
up  on  behalf  of  the  government  to  seek  him  out)  he  set  out 
disguised  in  the  garb  of  a  dervish  for  Hamadan  and  Kirman- 
shahan.  Thence  he  proceeded  to  the  Abode  of  Peace  of  Bagh- 
dad, and  in  reference  to  this  the  '  Tongue  of  the  Unseen '  says : 


A.  Call  of  Attention 


.  (Couplet) 
'Baghdad  shall  be  filled  with  tumult;  one  with  lips  like  sugar 

shall  appear; 
I  fear  lest  the  disturbance  of  his  lips  may  cast  Shiraz  into 

■  confusion.' 
'*At  this  juncture  Mirza  Huseyn  Ali  [i.  e.  Beha'u'llah],  the 
elder  brother  of  His  Highness  [Subh-i-Ezel],  came  to  Baghdad 
with  two  other  brothers  and  several  of  the  believers,  and  these 
gathered  round  that  Most  Mighty  Light,  who,  in  accordance 
with  instructions  with  His  Highness  the  Point  of  Revelation 
[i.  e.  the  Bab]  had  given  him,  passed  his  nights  and  days 
behind   the    curtains   of   seclusion   apart   from   believers   and 

others — 

(Couplet) 
"Behind  a  veil  sits  that  moon-browed  beauty; 
He  has  rent  asunder  the  veils  of  the  world,  yet  sits  behind 
a  veil' — and  none  approached  him  save  his  brothers  and  certain 
favored  followers.  But  from  behind  that  veil  issued  forth 
letters,  epistles,  and  books  [written]  in  reply  to  men's  ques- 
tions and  petitions." 

(See  also  The  New  History  of  The  Bab,  pp.  381-82:  Trans. 

by  E.  G.  Browne.) 

"Now  when  the  letters  of  Jenab-i-Ezel  came  to  His  Holiness 
'the  Reminder'  [i.  e.  the  Bab],  he  rejoiced  exceedingly,  and 
thenceforth  began  the  decline  of  the  Sun  of  'the  Reminder'  and 
the  rising  of  the  Moon  of  Ezel.  So  he  [i.  e.  the  Bab]  sent  of 
his  own  personal  effects,  such  as  pen-cases,  paper,  writings, 
his  own  blessed  raiment,  and  his  holy  rings,  according  to  the 
'Number  of  the  Unity'  [Vahid — 19],  that  the  outward  might 
correspond  with  the  inward  reality.  He  also  wrote  a  testa- 
mentary deposition,  explicitly  nominating  him  [i.  e.  Ezel]  as 
his  successor,  and  added,  'Write  the  eight  [unwritten]  Vahids 
of  the  Beyan,  and,  if  "He  whom  God  shall  manifest"  should 
appear  in  His  power  in  thy  time,  abrogate  the  Beyan ;  and  put 
into  practice  that  which  we  shall  inspire  into  thine  heart.' 
Now  the  mystery  of  his  bestowing  his  effects  on  Ezel  according 


10  A  Call  of  Attention 


to  the  'Number  of  the  Unity'  is  perfectly  evident,  namely  that 
he  intended  the  inner  meaning  thereof,  that  it  might  be  known 
to  all  his  followers  that  after  himself  Ezel  should  bear  the 
Divine  influences.  And  his  object  in  explicitly  nominating  him 
as  his  successor  also  was  to  re-assure  the  hearts  of  the  weak, 
so  that  they  might  not  be  bewildered  as  to  his  real  nature,  but 
that  enemies  and  friends  alike  might  know  that  there  is  no 
intermission  in  God's  grace,  and  that  God's  religion  is  a  thing 
which  must  be  made  manifest.  And  the  reason  why  [the  Bab] 
himself  refrained  from  writing  the  eight  [unwritten]  Vahids 
of  the  Beyan,  but  left  them  to  Ezel,  was  that  all  men  might 
know  that  the  Tongue  of  God  is  one,  and  that  He  in  Himself 
is  a  sovereign  Proof.  And  what  he  meant  by  'Him  whom 
God  should  manifest'  after  himself  was  Hazrat-i-Ezel  and  none 
other  than  him,  for  there  may  not  be  two  'Points'  at  one  time. 
And  the  secret  of  the  Bab's  saying,  'Do  thus  and  thus,'  while 
Ezel  was  himself  also  a  'Proof,'  was  that  at  this  time  His 
Holiness  'the  Reminder'  was  the  Heaven  of  Volition,  and  Ezel 
was  accounted  the  Earth  of  Devotion  and  the  product  of 
purified  gifts^  wherefore  was  he  thus  addressed. 

"In  short,  as  soon  as  the  time  had  come  when  the  'Eternal 
Fruit'  [i.  e.  Subh-i-Ezel]  had  reached  maturity,  the  Red  Blos- 
som -of  Reminder-hood  [i.  e.  the  Bab],  casting  itself  from  the 
branch  of  the  Blessed  Tree  of  the  Ka'imate  (which  is  'neither 
of  the  East  nor  of  the  West')  to  the  simoom-wind  of  the 
malice  of  foes,  destroyed  itself,  and  prepared  to  ascend  from 
the  outward  and  visible  'World  of  Dominion'  to  the  inward 
realm  of  the  Mystery  of  Godhead.  Wherefore  it  was  that  the 
accessories  of  his  martyrdom  appeared  in  the  world;  for  it  is 
sufficiently  obvious  that,  had  he  not  himself  been  content  with 
martyrdom,  none  would  have  had  power  to  harm  him." 

It  is  very  important  to  note  here,  that  in  those  early  histories 
of  Babism,  the  Babis  always  called  their  master  (i.  e.  the  Bab) 
by  these  titles, ' '  The  Sun  of  '  the  Reminder, '  ' '  and  ' '  The  Heaven 
of  Volition;"  and  they  called  his  Successor  (i.  e.  Subh-i-Ezel) 
by  the  following  titles:  "The  Moon  of  Ezel,"  "The  Blessed 


A,  Call  of  Attention  11 


Earth  of  Devotion,"  and  the  ^^ Eternal  Fruit,"  or  ''The  Fruit 
of  the  Beyan." 

The  Second  Abstract. 


(Taken  from  "A  Travellers  Narrative, ' '  pp.  335  to  343.    Trans. 

by  E.  G.  Browne.) 

The  second  abstract  was  a  list  of  the  books  written  by  the 
Bab  and  Subh-i-Ezel,  together  with  the  following  letter  from 
Subh-i-Ezel  to  Prof.  E.  G.  Browne  concerning  some  questions 
which  he  had  asked  him  in  a  previous  letter. 

Browne  says:  *'In  the  letter  accompanying  this  list  Subh-i- 
Ezel  w^rote  as  follows  concerning  the  fate  of  the  Bab's  works 
generally  and  of  those  enumerated  in  particular: — 

''As  to  what  you  asked  concerning  the  existence  of  certain 
epistles,  it  is  even  as  you  have  heard,  leaving  out  of  account 
that  Avhich  from  first  to  last  passed  into  the  hands  of  strangers, 
w^hereof  no  cop}^  was  preserved.  At  the  time  of  the  martyrdom 
[of  the  Bab]  at  Tabriz,  as  they  wrote  from  thence,  many  of  the 
original  writings  passed  into  the  hands  of  persons  belonging 
to  the  country  of  your  Excellency  or  to  Russia,  amongst  these 
being  even  autograph  writings  of  His  Highness  the  Point 
[i.  e.  the  Bab].  Search  is  necessary,  for  to  read  the  original 
is  difficult.  If  this  humble  one  be  applied  to,  copies  thereof 
will  be  sent.  What  I  myself  arranged  and  copied  out  while  at 
Baghdad,  and  what  was  commanded  to  be  collected  of  previous 
and  subsequent  [writings]  until  the  Day  of  Martyrdom 
[of  the  Bab],  was  nigh  upon  thirty  volumes  of  bound  books. 
I  myself  wrote  then  with  my  own  hand,  and  up  to  the  present 
time  I  have  w^ritten  many.  The  originals  and  copies  of  these, 
together  with  Avhat  was  in  the  writings  of  others,  sundry  other 
[books]  written  in  proof  of  this  religion  by  certain  learned 
friends,  and  Avhat  I  myself  wrote  and  compiled,  amounted  to 
numerous  volumes,  as  [recorded  in]  the  list  thereof  [which] 
I  have  sent.  For  some  years  all  of  these  w^ere  in  a  certain 
place  in  the  hands  of  a  friend  as  a  trust.  Afterwards  they 
w^ere  deposited  in  another  place.    Eventually  I  entrusted  them 


12  A  Call  of  Attrition 


to  my  own  relatives,  [in  whose  keeping]  they  were  preserved 
for  a  while;  for,  inasmuch  as  the  friends  of  this  recluse 
[i.  e.  myself]  had  attained  unto  martyrdom  through  the  equity 
and  justice  of  the  oppressors  of  the  age,  who  consider  them- 
selves as  seekers  after  truth  and  just  men,  there  was  no 
recourse  but  that  this  humble  one  [i.  e.  myself]  should  make  his 
relatives  (By  his  'relatives'  Subh-i-Ezel  means  his  half-brother 
Beha'u'llah  and  those  of  his  kindred  Avho  followed  him),  his 
trustees.  So  did  this  humble  one;  and  whatever  [was  mine] 
of  books  and  epistles  was  [deposited]  in  their  house.  The 
vicissitudes  of  the  world  so  fell  out  that  these  also  unsheathed 
the  sword  of  hatred  and  wrought  what  they  would.  They 
cruelly  put  to  the  sword  the  remnant  of  [my]  friends  wiio 
stood  firm,  and,  making  strenuous  efforts,  got  into  their  hands 
such  of  the  books  of  His  Highness  the  Point  as  were  obtainable, 
with  the  idea  of  destroying  them,  and  [thereby]  rendering 
their  own  works  more  attractive.  They  also  carried  off  my 
trust  [i.  e.  the  books  above  referred  to  committed  to  their 
care],  and  fell  not  short  in  anything  which  can  be  effected  by 
foes." 

Anybody  who  reads  this  last  abstract,  can  plainly  see  the 
fulfilment  of  Christ's  parable  concerning  "the  Kingdom  of 
Heaven  is  likened  unto  a  man  which  sowed  good  seed  in  his 
field:  But  while  men  slept  his  enemj^  came  and  sowed  tares 
among  the  wheat"  and  corrupted  the  field. 

In  October,  1906,  I  sent  out  another  "pamphlet"  with  the 
following  letter: —  Dear  Sir!  I  will  send  you  some  more 
evidences  which  I  have  picked  out  from  the  books  of  the 
dift'erent  religions  which  prove  plainly  that  the  Manifestation 
and  the  Infinite-God  are  not  one  in  personality,  read  them  and 
then  decide  for  yourself  Avhich  is  the  Truth. 

We  are  preaching  against  the  Politlieism  Avhich  our  ancestors 
have  estal)lished,  and  still  we  go  ahead  and  try  to  commit  the 
same  error  again,  which  is  not  right.  Please  study  this  pamph- 
let w^ell,  it  is  very  important. 


A  Call  of  Attention  13 


(The  Pamphlet) 

Some  evidences  taken  from  different  religions  which  prove 
that  the  messenger  or  manifestation  is  not  one  in  personality 
with  the  Infinite-God. 

In  The  Book  of  Enoch  pp.  224-225,  reads  as  follows:— ''0 
thou,  who  seekest  knowledge  of  the  Holy  One,  be  thyself 
imbued  with  sacred  thoughts :  follow  not  the  Divine  for  things 
that  are  unhallowed,  nor  pursue  celestial  things  with  carnal 
purposes.  God  is  Eternal;  the  Universe  is  perpetual:  God  is 
exempt  from  time,  but  the  Universe  subsists  in  time.  God, 
who  is  all  Life,  Light,  and  Love,  subsisted  prior  to  both  Light 
and  Darkness :  from  all  eternity  in  venerable  solitude ;  He  had 
no  equal,  nor  any  rival." 

This  corresponds  exactly  to  the  saying  in  ''A  Travellers  Nar- 
rative" pp.  115-116,  which  reads  as  follows: — "But  that  Real 
King  is  in  Himself  sufficient  unto  Himself  [and  independent] 
of  all:  neither  doth  any  advantage  acrue  to  Him  from  the 
love  of  contingent  beings,  nor  doth  any  hurt  befall  Him  from 
their  hatred.  All  earthly  places  appear  through  Him  and 
unto  Him  return,  and  God  singly  and  alone  abideth  in  His 
own  place  which  is  holy  above  space  arrl  time,  mention  and 
utterance,  sign,  description,  and  definition,  height  and  depth. 
And  none  knoweth  this  save  Him  and  whosoever  hath 
knowledge  of  the  Book.  There  is  no  God  but  Him,  the  Mighty, 
the  Bountiful." 

We  know  that  a  messenger  or  a  manifestation  is  subject 
to  all  these  conditions,  such  as  space,  time,  mention,  utterance, 
sign,  description,  definition,  etc.,  but  the  Infinite-God  is  above 
all  these  conditions,  therefore,  the  messenger  or  the  manifesta- 
tion cannot  be  one  in  personality  with  the  Infinite-God. 

We  read  in  "The  Book  of  Fo"  the  same  evidences,  p.  6,  is 
the  following  sentence: — "Whatsoever  we  hear,  or  see,  or 
describe,  or  image,  That  verily  is  not  God.  There  is  no  way 
by  which  to  reach  Him;  He  hath  no  substance  which  can  be 
represented;  He  hath  no  form  which  can  be  taken  hold  of; 
Thouo-ht  cannot  attain  Him;  Words  cannot  penetrate  to  Him. 


14  A  Call  of  Attention 


The  production  of  the  All  diminishes  Him  not;  The  re-absorp- 
tion of  the  All  increases  Him  not.  Everything  is  double: 
Everything"  hath  its  image  in  Heaven  or  Earth;  But  the  Eternal 
Lord  of  Light  and  Wisdom  Alone,  hath  not  an  equal  or  an 
image.  A  potter  Diakes  a  thousand  vessels,  But  what  vessel 
could  make  the  potter?  Even  so  Wisdom  created  all,  But 
all  cannot  create  Wisdom." 

We  find  similar  things  in  the  Bible.  Isaiah  40.25: — ''To 
whom  then  will  ye  liken  me,  or  shall  I  be  equal?  Saith  the 
Holy  One."  Deut.  4.  15-16:  ''Take  ye  therefore  good  heed 
unto  yourselves;  for  ye  saw  no  manner  of  similitude  on  the 
day  that  the  Lord  spake  unto  you  in  Horeb  out  of  the  midst 
of  the  fire  :  Lest  ye  corrupt  yourselves,  and  make  you  a  graven 
image,  the  similitude  of  any  figure,  the  likeness  of  male  or 
female."  Ex.  20.  3-4: — "Thou  shalt  have  no  other  gods 
before  me.  Thou  shalt  not  make  unto  thee  any  graven  image, 
or  any  likeness  of  any  thing  that  is  in  heaven  above,  or  that  is 
in  the  earth  beneath,  or  that  is  in  the  water  under  the  earth: 
Thou  shalt  not  bow  down  thyself  to  them,  nor  serve  them :  for 
I  the  Lord  thy  God  am  a  jealous  God." 

In  February,  1907.  I  sent  out  the  following  pamphlet. 

(The  Pamphlet.) 

The  Sacred  Scripture  Teaches  the  Equality  of  All  Men. 

In  "The  Book  of  Enoch"  p.  225,  reads  as  follows: — "All  men 
are  equal  before  God ;  all  men  are  the  children  of  Him !  Mortal ! 
forget  not  this  truth ;  let  it  be  graven  on  thy  inmost  heart.  In 
thy  morning  hour  meditate  upon  it;  remember  it  in  the  time 
of  night:  let  it  shape  all  thine  actions,  and  never  once  be 
absent  from  thv  life. 

• 

"Wouldst  thou  see  what  God  has  made  distinct?  observe 
the  difference  in  trees  and  birds;  the  dove  differs  from  the 
poncor'k:  the  ])anyan  differs  from  the  rose.  But  man  hath 
the  Sfime  l)one  and  figure:  is  born  in  the  same  way,  and  dieth 
ill  the  same  way:  therefore  write  this  upon  thine  heart,  that 
all  men  are  one  and  the  same." 


A  Call  of  Attention  15 


In  "The  Book  of  Fo"  p.  34,  is  the  f ollowing :—'' There  did 
we  learn  that  all  (men)  are  equal,  There  are  no  divisions 
before  God;  They  are  all  from  One  Father;  And  all  from  the 
same  Essence.  The  king  is  not  different  from  the  beggar, 
The  outcast  differs  not  from  the  high  priests." 

In  "The  Book  of  God"  iii.  p.  312,  is  the  following  sentence: — 
"Buddhism,  says  Hodgson,  proclaimed  the  equality  of  all  men 
and  women  in  the  sight  of  God." 

In  the  book  "Eeha'u'llah"  p.  531,  is  the  following  sentence: 
— -''0  Children  of  Man!  Do  you  know  why  We  created  you 
from  one  clay?  That  no  one  should  glorify  himself  over  the 
other.  Always  be  mindful  of  how  you  were  created,  for  as 
We  created  you  from  one  substance,  you  must  be  as  one  soul, 
walking  upon  the  same  feet,  eating  with  one  mouth  and 
living  in  one  land;  that  you  may  be  able  to  show  from  your 
being  and  your  deeds  and  actions,  the  signs  of  the  Unity  and 
the  essence  of  abstraction.  This  is  My  Advice  to  you,  0  people 
of  Light;  therefore  profit  by  this  advice,  that  you  may  attain 
the  fruits  of  Holiness  from  the  Trees  of  Might  and  Power." 

Christ  said  the  first  commandment  is  this:  "Hear,  0  Israel; 
The  Lord  our  God  is  one  Lord:  And  thou  shait  love  the  Lord 
thv  God, — Above  all  things."  And  the  second  commandment 
is  this :  ' '  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself.  For  on 
these  two  commandments  hang  both  the  laws  and  the  proph- 
ets." 

Christ  here  defined  the  whole  religion  in  two  commandments, 
viz.  first:  "That  we  should  consider  God — Above  all  things." 
Second:  "That  we  should  consider  our  neighbors  equal  to 
ourselves,"  and  treat  them  accordingly. 

In  **The  Apocryphal  New  Testament"  p.  122,  (i.  Clement, 
7.  3-4:)  reads  as  follows: — "Above  all,  remembering  the  words 
of  the  Lord  Jesus,  which  he  spake  concerning  equity,  saying, 
'Be  ye  merciful  and  ye  shall  obtain  mercy;  forgive,  and  ye 
shall  be  forgiven:  as  ye  do,  so  shall  it  be  done  unto  you;  as  ye 
give,  so  shall  it  be  given  unto  you ;  as  ye  judge,  so  shall  ye  be 
judged;  as  ye  are  kind  to  others,  so  shall  God  be  kind  to  you: 


16  A  Call  of  Attention 


with  what  measure  ye  mete,  with  the  same  shall  it  be  measured 
to  you  again.'  " 

We  must  bear  in  mind  that — when  God  says:  ''That  all  men 
are  equal  before  Him,"  it  includes  all  the  manifestations  or 
prophets  of  God  also.  Christ  himself  confessed  the  same  truth 
(that  he  was  as  helpless  as  any  of  us),  when  he  said:  "From 
myself  I  can  do  nothing." 

The  Babis  believe  that  in  every  manifestation  there  must 
be  a  "Point  of  Darkness"  opposed  to  the  "Point  of  Light." 

We  will  now  go  and  see  w^hat  the  Muhammadans  Scriptures 
teach  concerning  this  two  manifestations  and  see  if  we  can 
recognize  them  in  this  "The  Babi  Movement." 

Concerning   Antichrist,    or   the   False   Manifestation. 

In  "A  Travellers  Narrative"  pp.  304-5: — "Concerning  Anti- 
christ (Dajjal),  and  the  ass  on  which  he  is  mounted,  the 
Akaidush-Shia  has  the  following  passage: — "The  forty-sixth 
of  the  signs  of  the  appearance  [of  the  Imam  Mahdi]  is  the 
coming  forth  of  Antichrist.     And  the  name  of  that  accursed 

one  is  Said  ibn  Sayd The  Prophet  pointed  him  out  to 

his  companions  and  said,  '0  people,  God  hath  not  sent  any 
prophet  without  filling  his  church  with  the  fear  of  Antichrist, 
whom  he  has  respited  and  left  until  your  time.  And  this  man 
shall  come  forth  with  a  mountain  of  bread  and  a  river  of  water ; 
and  he  will  appear  in  a  time  of  famine.  Most  .of  his  followers 
will  be  Jews,  women,  Arabs,  and  nomads.  He  will  enter  into 
all  quarters  and  regions  of  the  earth  save  Mecca  and  its  two 
mountains,  and  Medina  and  its  two  mountains.  And  whenever 
he  comes  forth  he  will  claim  to  be  God,  althousjh  he  is  one-eved 

and  God  is  not  one-eyed' Now  the  characteristics  of 

Antichrist  are  these : — his  right  eye  is  crushed ;  his  left  eye  is 
in  his  forehead,  and  glitters  as  though  it  were  the  morning 
star,  and  in  it  is  a  piece  of  blood,  so  that  it  seems  to  be  per- 
vaded with  blood;  between  his  two  eyes  it  is  written  that  he 
is  a  misbeliever,  so  that  every  one,  whether  learned  or  un- 
learned, can  read  it;  he  is  a  skilled  magician,  who  by  his 
magic,  descends  into   the   oceans;   with   him   travel  the   sun; 


A  Gall  of  Attention  17 


before  his  face  is  a  mountain  of  smoke,  and  behind  his  back 
is  a  white  mountain,  and  through  [his]  magic  it  seemeth  in 
mens  eyes  that  there  are  two  mountains  of  water  and  bread, 
though  in  truth  it  is  not  so,  but  a  mere  juggle;  he  traverseth 
all  oceans,  and  over  whatsoever  ocean  or  water  he 
passeth  it  sinketh  down  and  cometh  forth  no  more 
till  the  Day  of  Judgment;  before  him  Satan  dances,  and 
the  devils  cause  him  and  his  ass  to  appear  pleasing  in  men's 
eyes,  and  this  is  a  mischief  for  the  proving  of  mankind.  And 
he  crieth  out  so  that  the  dwellers  in  the  East  and  in  the  West, 
whether  of  jinn  or  mankind,  hear  his  voice,  and  he  saith,  '0 
my  friends,  I  am  that  God  who  created  and  fashioned  the 
members  and  parts  of  the  world;  I  am  that  God  who  pre- 
destined the  affairs  of  [His]  servants  and  guided  and  directed 
mankind ;  I  am  your  Supreme  Lord !  And  most  of  his  followers 
are  women,  Jews,  bastards,  and  musicians.  But  when  he  cometh 
to  Akaba-i-Afik,  which  is  a  mountain  in  Syria,  His  Highness 
the  Kaim  shall  slay  him  at  the  third  hour  on  Friday,  and 
shall  cleanse  the  world  of  the  filth  and  foulness  of  that  Ac- 
cursed One.'  Many  other  wonderful  qualities  are  attributed 
to  the  ass  of  Antichrist,  as  for  instance,  that  the  distance 
between  its  ears  is  a  full  mile,  that  each  of  its  hairs  gives  forth 
ravishing  strains  of  music,  and  the  likes,  of  which  things  the 
further  enumeration  appears  to  be  unprofitable  and  unneces- 
sary. ' ' 

Concerning  Kaim  or  Imam  Mahdi,  the  True  Manifestation. 

In  ''A  Travellers  Narrative"  pp.  299-300-301,  is  the  follow- 
ing passage : — "In  the  remotest  East  is  a  city  whereof  the  name 
is  Jabars,  and  its  inhabitants  are  of  the  children  of  Thamud. 
And  in  the  remotest  West  is  a  city  whereof  the  name  is  Jabalk, 
and  its  inhabitants  are  of  the  children  of  Ad.  And  in  each 
one  are  remnants  of  these  two  peoples.  The  Jews  say  that 
the  children  of  Moses  fled  in  the  fight  with  Bukht-Nassar 
[Nebuchadnezzar],  and  God  caused  them  to  journey  towards 
Jabars  and  to  alight  therein.  And  in  that  place  they  dwell; 
none   can   come   unto   them   nor  reckon   their  number.     The 


18  A   Call  of  Attention 


Prophet  on  the  night  wherein  he  made  the  night-journey  said 
to  Gabriel,  'I  wish  to  see  the  people  concerning  whom  God  hath 
said,  ''Of  the  people  of  Moses  there  is  a  party  who  are  guided 
in  truth,  and  act  justly  according  to  the  same."  '  [Kuran  vii, 
159].  'Between  thee  and  them,'  said  Gabriel,  'is  a  journey  of 
six  years  to  go  and  six  years  to  return ;  and  between  thee  and 
them  is  a  river  of  sand  which  runs  swiftly  as  the  flight  of  an 
arrow  and  ceaseth  not  save  on  the  Sabbath  day;  but  ask  of 
thy  Lord.'  So  the  prophet  prayed,  and  Gabriel  said  'Amen;' 
and  God  revealed  unto  Gabriel,  'Grant  him  what  he  hath 
asked.'  So  he  mounted  Burak,  who  took  a  few  steps,  and 
behold  he  was  in  the  midst  of  the  people.  Then  he  saluted  them, 
and  they  asked  him  'Who  art  thou?'  He  said,  'I  am  the  un- 
lettered Prophet.'  They  said,  'Yes,  thou  art  he  concerning 
whom  IMoses  was  given  good  tidings,  and  verily  the  angels 
would  take  thy  people  by  the  hand,  were  it  not  for  their 
faults.'  'I  saw  their  tombs,'  saith  the  Apostle  of  God,  'at  the 
doors  of  their  abodes,  and  I  said  unto  them,  "Wherefore 
this?"  They  answered,  "That  we  may  remember  death  morn- 
ing and  evening;  for  did  we  not  do  thus,  we  should  only 
remember  it  from  time  to  time. ' '  '  Then  he  said,  'How  is  it  that 
I  see  your  buildings  equal  [in  height]  V  They  answered,  'That 
none  of  us  may  overlook  another,  and  that  none  may  shut  out 
the  air  from  another.'  Then  he  said,  'How  is  it  that  I  see  no 
King  or  judge  amongst  you?'  They  said,  'We  are  just  one  to 
another  and  give  what  is  due  to  ourselves,  wherefore  we  need 
not  any  to  deal  out  justice  in  our  midst.'  Then  he  said, 
*  Wherefore  are  your  streets  empty?'  They  answered,  'We  all 
sow  and  all  reap,  and  every  man  amongst  us  taketh  what 
sufficeth  h'im  and  leaveth  what  remaineth  for  his  brother.' 
Then  he  said,  'Wherefore  do  I  see  these  people  laughing?' 
They  replied,  'One  amongst  them  hath  died.'  He  said,  'Why 
then  do  they  laugh?'  They  answered,  'For  joy,  because  he 
hath  been  taken  away  in  the  belief  of  the  Unity.'  He  said 
'What  aileth  these  that  they  weep?'  They  answered,  'A  child 
hath  been  born  unto  them,  and  they  know  not  in  what  faith 


A  Call  of  Attention  19 


he  will  be  taken  away.'  He  said,  'When  a  male  child  is 
born  unto  you,  tell  me  what  you  do?'  They  said,  'We  fast  for 
a  month  in  thankfulness  to  God.'  He  said,  'And  if  a  girl 
be  born  unto  you?'  They  answered,  'We  fast  two  months  in 
thankfulness  to  God,  because  Moses  hath  told  us  that  resigna- 
tion on  account  of  a  female  child  hath  a  greater  reward  than 
resignation  on  account  of  a  male  child. '  He  said,  'Do  ye  commit 
adultery?'  They  said,  'Doth  any  one  do  this  thing  whom  the 
heaven  stoneth  not  with  pebbles  from  above,  and  whom  the 
earth  swalloweth  not  from  beneath?'  He  said,  'Do  ye  take 
usury?'  They  answered,  'He  alone  taketh  usury  who  believeth 
not  in  the  provision  of  God.'  He  said,  'Do  ye  sicken?'  They 
said,  'We  sin  not,  neither  do  we  sicken;  thy  people  are 
afflicted  with  sickness  only  as  an  atonement  for  their  sins.' 
He  said,  'Have  ye  wild  beasts  and  reptiles?'  They  answered, 
'Yes;  they  pass  us  by  and  we  pass  them  by,  and  they  hurt  us 
not.'  Then  the  Prophet  proposed  unto  them  his  Law;  and 
they  asked,  'How  shall  we  do  as  regards  the  Pilgrimage,  for 
between  us  and  it  is  a  great  distance?'  Then  the  Prophet 
prayed,  'and,'  saith  Ibn  Abbas,  'the  earth  was  roller  up  for 
them  so  that  those  of  them  who  would  perform  the  Pilgrimage 
might  do  so  with  [the  rest  of]  mankind.  And  when  it  was 
morning,  the  Prophet  told  this  [to]  such  as  were  present  of 
his  people,  amongst  whom  was  Abu  Bekr.  And  he  said,  "Verily 
it  is  well  with  the  people  of  Moses,  and  God  knew  what  was 
in  their  hearts,  and  revealed  'Of  those  whom  We  have  created 
is  a  nation  who  are  guided  in  truth  and  thereby  act  with 
equity.'  [Kuran  vii,  180.]  Such  are  the  cities  of  Jabulka 
and  Jabulsa — the  Muslim  'Land  of  Cocagne' — wherein,  ac- 
cording to  the  Shiite  belief,  the  Imam  Mahdi  dwells." 

We  will  now  go  and  see  what  our  own  Bible,  and  the  other 
religions  of  the  world,  teach  concerning  the  struggle  between 
these  two  Manifestations,  of  viz.  "Light"  and  "Darkness,"  and 
see  if  we  can  recognize  them  in  this  "The  Babi  Religion." 

We  read  in  the  Revelation,  that  after  the  door  or  the  Gate 
(the  Bab)  was  opened  the  Servant  of  God,  went  through  that 


20  A  Call  of  Attention 


Gate,  and  then  found  himself  in  heaven,  or  in  the  kingdom 
of  God,  and  saw  everything  that  was  going  to  happen  in 
that  heaven.  ''And  there  appeared  two  wonders  in  heaven." 
What  was  this  two  wonders?  No  more  and  no  less  than  the 
two  manifestations,  of  viz.  Light  and  Darkness. 

In  ''The  Book  of  God"  by  E.  V.  Kenealy,  p.  376 :— "Now  for 
the  first  time  the  Prophet  sees  the  most  splendid  of  all  spec- 
tacles— the  Virgin  Spirit  of  God — in  the  Hebrew,  named  Al- 
mah,  that  is  Virgin,  one  who  has  never  been  even  seen  by  a 
man.  She  it  is  who  sends  forth  the  Incarnation  at  the  ap- 
pointed time:  she  is  clothed  with  the  sun;  the  Sun  and  Moon 
being  types  of  the  male  and  female  principle,  which  has  formed 
a  distinctive  mark  of  every  religion.  Alma,  this  word  Al, 
means  the  'Preserver/  and  Ma,  'Mother.'  The  Holy  Spirit, 
also  indicate  the  four-sided  'City  of  God.'  Also  connected  with 
the  old  Arab  worship  of  the  four-sided  stone,  Bra-Chthan,  in 
which  the  creative  BR  is  read."  Ptolemy  Hephesyion  says, 
"That  the  Holy  Spirit  was  Echo,  that  is,  the  Divine  Voice  of 
the  Deity,  whose  laws  and  counsels  she  repeated."  She  is  also 
called  "The  Hidden  Treasure,"  "The  Garden,"  "The  Fount- 
ain," "The  Apocatypse,"  "The  Inspiration,"  "The  Word  of 
God,"  "The  Primal  Will."  Enoch  says:— "This  is  the  Be- 
loved, the  Holy  Spirit,-  who  speaks  in  thee  and  in  the  Prophets, 
QUEEN  of  the  OCEAN  of  LIGHT."  By  all  these  names  we 
learn  that  the  Holy  Spirit  means  ' '  The  Inspired  Word  of  God, ' ' 
or  the  "Revelations  of  God."  Just  as  we  call  the  laws  of 
nature,  "The  Mother  of  all  material  Growth;"  so  also,  the 
Holy  Spirit,  or  the  Word  of  God,  is  called  "The  Mother  of 
all  spiritual  Growth." 

' '  She  is  clothed  with  the  Sun ; ' '  the  sun  is  Her  Veil,  Robe,  or 
Manifestation.  "And  the  Moon  beneath  Her  feet:"  the  moon 
is  Her  Foot-Stool,  or  Foundation.  The  Moon  was  the  first 
fruit  of  that  Revelation,  or  the  first  bom  of  Her  increase. 
The  Sun  is  the  "Heaven  of  Volition,"  and  the  Moon  is  the 
"Earth  of  Devotion,"  or  "The  Sun  of  the  Reminder,"  and 
"The  Moon  of  Ezel."    The  Moon  assumes  a  boat-like  or  cres- 


A  Gall  of  Attention  21 


cent  shape;  the  symbol  of  Yona,  (the  Dove).  ''And  She  had 
a  Crown  of  twelve  stars  on  Her  head;"  She  has  brought  forth 
twelve  sons  or  messengers,  this  is  Her  crown  of  glory. 

In  ''The  Book  of  God"  vol.  iii.  p.  383:— "Now  the  Prophet 
sees  the  Evil  personified  as  the  Dragon,  which  is  always  ready 
to  destroy  the  Incarnation.    The  fiery  red  colour  indicates  the 
blood  which  in  his  ferocity  he  spills :  his  heads  and  horns  his 
immense  power,  the  dragon-form  his  destructive  nature.     This 
symbol  is  susceptible  also  of  an  interpretation  deeply  subtle 
and  philosophic,  according  to  the  oriental  theosophy,  which 
puts  to  the  blush  the  modern  vulgar  notion  of  a  devil.     This 
dragon  is  Typhon,  or  Maha-Deva,  in  its  destroying  capacity, 
weakens  the  force  of  the  Beautiful ;  corrupts  Truth  and  Wis- 
dom, and  is  therefore  the  manifestation  of  evil.     This  Dragon 
declares  war  against  the  Holy  Spirit,  who  calm  and  beautiful 
as  the  Moon  on  a  troubled  night  shines  still  serenely  amid  the 
warfare.     It  is  curious  to  note  how,  among  the  people  of  the 
most  remote  antiquity,  the  tradition  of  this  remarkable  mythos 
still  remains.    Whenever  they  see  an  eclipse  of  the  Moon  they 
believe  it  is  occasioned  by  the  approach  of  a  Dragon  seeking  to 
devour  her,  and  they  raise  the  most  hideous  noises  to  frighten 
him  away.    From  this  Dragon,  says  Vallancey,  depicted  on  the 
ancient  celestial  globes  certainly  arose  the  poetic  fiction  of 
the  contest  of  the  Moon  and  Dragon  in  time  of  an  eclipse. 
But   how   the    same   idea    of   an   eclipse   prevailed   with   the 
Chinese,  the  Japanese,  the  savages  of  North  America,  and  the 
inhabitants  of  Peru;  for  all  attribute  an  eclipse  to  a  contest 
of  the  Moon  with  a  Dragon,  and  it  cannot  be  accounted  for, 
except  by  reference  to  the  most  ancient  book — the  Apocalypse 
—in  which  it  is  first  found  as  above.     This  combat  with  the 
Serpent  that  cast  water  out  of  his  mouth  like  a  flood,  was 
commemorated  in  the  mythos  of  Hercules  in  conflict  with  the 
Hydra.     It  has  also  suggested  the  numerous  ancient  gems  of 
Cadmus,  warring  with  the  Dragon.     The  episode  was  beauti- 
fully represented  in  the  Mysteries,  and  it  gave  birth  to  the 
fable  of  Medea    (Metis,  Wisdom)    flying  with  her  son  in  a 


22  *    A  Call  of  Attention 


chariot  drawn  by  Seraphims  or  Winged  Serpents.    We  find  the 
same  idea  everywhere.    When  an  eclipse  occurs  in  the  Nicober 
island  the  people  beat  all  their  gongs  with  the  utmost  violence, 
and  hurl  their  spears  into  the  air  to  frighten  away  the  demon 
who  is  devouring  the  celestial  body.     The  Burman  tradition 
which  gives  to  this  Red  Dragon  a  human  form,  is  in  accordance 
with  those  of  other  empires.    They  symbolize  him  as  the  planet 
Rahu  which  gives  no  light — ^that  is,  he  is  a  lapsed  or  fallen 
Spirit  no  longer  clothed  with  heavenly  brightness — .     When 
this  monstrous   and   foul   planet,   is   inflamed   with    envy    at 
the  brightness  of  the  Moon,  he  descends  into  her  path,  and 
draws,  or  rather  takes,  her  into  his  mouth,  but  he  is  soon 
obliged  to  disgorge  her  again.     In  this  manner  they  explain 
an   eclipse,   making   the   duration   of  the    eclipse   depend   on 
the  time  that  Rahu  retains  the  planet  in  his  mouth.    It  is  said 
that  the  King  of  the  Dragons  saw  the  first  Divine  Messenger 
that  appeared  on  this  earth,  and  that  he  will  also  see  the  last. 
It  is  also  said  of  this  King  of  the  Dragons  that  he  always 
sleeps  at  the  foot  of  those  mountains  from  whence  the  river 
Casse   springs,   and  that  he   only  awakes   on  the   appearance 
of  a  new  Celestial.     That  is,  when  any  being  has  arrived  at 
such  a  degree  of  merit  as  to  deserve  to  be  declared  a  god, 
he  eats  rice  which  has  been  boiled  in  a  golden  goblet:  he  then, 
in  order  to  give  a  proof  of  his  divinity,  throws  the  goblet 
into  the  river  Casse.    The  goblet  swims  up  against  the  stream 
till  it  arrives  at  the  place  where  the  King  of  the  Dragons 
sleeps.     There  it  strikes  against  the  rock,  and  makes  a  noise 
until  the   king   awakes.     In  Beeckman's   Voyage   to   Borneo 
(London,  1718)  we  read  as  follows: — We  sat  very  merry  till 
about  eight  at  night,  when  preparing  to  go  to  bed  we  heard 
on   a   sudden   a  most  terrible   outcry,   mixed  with   squealing, 
hallowing,  whooping,  firing  of   guns,   ringing   and   clattering 
of  gongs  or  brass  pans,  that  we  were  greatly  startled,  imagin- 
ing nothing  less  but  that  the  city  was  surprised  by  the  rebels. 
I   ran  immediately  to   the   door  where   I  found   my   old  fat 
landlord  roaring  and  whooping  like  a  man  raving  mad.     This 


A  Call  of  Attention  23 


increased  my  astonishment,  and  the  noise  was  so  great  that 
I  could  neither  be  heard  nor  get  an  answer  to  know  what 
the  matter  was.  At  last  I  cried  as  loud  as  I  possibly  could  to 
the  old  man  to  know  the  reason  of  this  sad  confusion  and 
outcry,  who,  in  a  great  fright,  pointed  up  to  the  heavens,  and 
said, — Leat  joo  Shatan  dea  Macon  Boolon — which  signified, 
''Look  here!  see  the  Devil  is  eating  up  the  Moon."  I  was 
very  glad  to  hear  there  was  no  other  cause  of  their  fright 
but  their  own  ignorance.  It  was  only  a  great  eclipse  of  the 
Moon." 

"In  the  Northern  Mythology  we  have  the  same  mythos, 
evidently  borrowed  from  this  sentence  of  the  Apocalypse  or 
Revelation : — 


'Eastward  sat  the  crone 

In  the  Iron  wood, 

And  there  brought  forth 

Fenrir's  offering. 

One  worse  than  all, 

"The  Moon's  devourer 

In  a  Demon's  guise." 

Filled  shall  he  be 

With  the  fated  lives : 

The  god's  abode 

Which  the  red  blood  shall  stain. 

Then  shall  the  summer's 

Sun  be  darkened, 

All  weather  turned  to  storm.' 

(Voluspa.   Str.   32,   33.) 

"Note,  also,  how  another  glimpse  of  the  Past  reveals  a  part 
of  the  Apocalypse.  Thus,  in  the  Dionysiac  festival,  which  was 
but  a  part  of  the  Eleusinean  Mysteries,  the  first  great  spectacle 
presented  was  the  onslaught  on  Bacchus  by  the  Giants,  and  his 
miraculous  escape,  which  was  simply  the  flight  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  here  described,  with  her  child,  and  the  attack  made  on 
both  by  the  Scarlet  Dragon. 


24  A  Call  of  Attention 


''In  the  Hindu  theology  this  Evil  Essence  is  said  to  have 
drawn  over  to  rebellion — one-third  of  the  Spirits — as  mentioned 
in  the  text.  This  incident  is  also  represented  in  a  gem  published 
in  D 'Hancarville,  i.  36,  where  Michael  is  represented  riding 
in  a  chariot  drawn  by  four  fiery  horses:  in  his  right  hand  he 
holds  the  lightnings,  and  in  the  left  a  cruciform  wand  or 
sceptre:  the  dragon-ending  angels  are,  crushed  beneath  his 
trampling  chargers,  and  seen  as  if  overwhelmed  with  agony 
and  despair." 

''We  next  read  that  the  Holy  Spirit  or  the  'Woman'  was 
borne  away.  In  the  primeval  mythology  of  Egypt,"  this  text 
was  symbolized  by  Isis  dropping  a  sheaf  of  corn  as  she  fled 
from  Typhon  (the  Dragon)  who  scattered  it  over  the  heavens 
as  he  continued  to  pursue  her.  The  Woman,  that  she  mav 
be  out  of  all  danger,  is  borne  away  into  Hermon  (or  Wilder- 
ness). This  was  a  lofty  mountain,  the  Mountain  of  the  Lord, 
to  which  the  Splendid  Spirit  departed  away  from  the  machina- 
tions of  the  Evil-doer;  mystically  she  was  named  thenceforth 
Alma,  or  the  Hidden,  as  well  as  Harmonia.  In  Amos,  this 
mountain  is  called  'E'r-Mune,'  or  Mountain  of  the  I\Ioon. 
Hermon,  says  Brant,  in  Hebrew  means — Sprung  from  a  ser- 
pent. Armonia,  means  also  the  Fortress  of  Yah,  or  God:  it 
has  relation  to  'yoneg'  delight.  To  this  incident,  likewise,  in 
some  measure  may  be  traced  the  sacredness  assigned  to  moun- 
tains and  caverns.  It  w^as  in  a  cavern  that  Hercules  found 
Echidna,  the  Holy  Spirit,  when  he  travelled  through  Hu-laia, 
the  land  of  Hou  or  God.  So  the  Sibyls  who  symbolized  the 
Holy  Spirit  always  gave  their  oracles  from  caverns.  During 
this  sojourn  in  the  Mount  Hermon,  the  infant  Incarnation  was 
supposed  to  have  been  concealed  in  a  cavern,  a  mythos  which 
is  introduced  into  the  history  of  most  of  the  Messengers. 
There  were  statues  in  Greece  to  the  Sacred  Interpreter  of 
God,  and  these  were  called  caverned.  W^e  mav  fairlv  con- 
elude,  says  Brant,  that  under  the  characters  of  Hermon, 
Hermes,  Thoth,  and  Cadmus,  one  person  is  alluded  to,  and  the 
same  religious  mythos.     In  connection  with  this,  the  ancient 


A  Call  of  Attention  25 


Peruvians  shewed  a  small  island  in  a  lake,  where  they  believed 
the  Sun  Messenger  to  have  once  hid  himself,  and  to  have  been 
thus  preserved  from  a  great  danger  which  awaited  him.    There 
is  a  strange  iUustration  of  the  words  'the  earth  helped  the 
Avoman'  in  the  mythos  which  relates  the  birth  of  Zeus,  the 
Messenger.     When  his  divine  Mother  brought  him  forth  in 
the   Mountain,   she   sought  in   vain  for  water  to  baptize  the 
new-born   infant;    the   land   was   without    streams    or    lakes; 
wiiereupon  she  prayed  as  follows:— 'Dear  Earth,  do  thou  also 
bring  forth:'  she  smote  the  rock  wdth  her  wand,  and  water 
instantly   gushed  forth.     Note  here  that  the  Holy   Spirit   as 
Venus  Architis,  or  of  the  Argha,  was  w^orshipped  at  Mount 
Libanus,  in  the  form  of  one  disconsolate  and  afflicted,  having 
her  head  covered,  and  leaning  upon  her  left  hand,  insomuch, 
says  Macrobius,  that  you  would  have  thought  you  saw  her 
tears  flowing.     Manilius  says  she  transformed  herself  into  a 
fish;  and  Ovid  declared  that  she  concealed  herself  in  one  to 
escape  great  danger.     The  tradition  was  founded  on  this  sec- 
tion  of   the   Apocalypse:   the   early   mythologues   having   de- 
clared that  when  the  Serpent  cast  out  the  flood  of-  waters  for 
the  purpose  of  destroying  the  Woman,  she  escaped  by  changing 
herself  into  a  Fish.     Diogenetes  Erythriacus,   says  Hyginus. 
related  that  Venus  and  her  Son  came  on  a  certain  occasion 
to  the  Ephr,  and  that  at  the  same  moment  Typhon  appeared. 
The  two  holy  ones  endeavored  to  escape:  Typhon  discharged 
a  vast  quantity  of  water,  so  that  he  might  overwhelm  them, 
when  they  changed  themselves  into  fishes,   and  so   escaped. 
Hence  the  origin  of  Venus  issuing  from  the  ocean,  and  the 
beautiful  mermaiden.    Hence,  also,  out  of  this  fish  the  Indian 
Incarnation  emerges,  as  may  be  seen  in  their  mythologic  paint- 
ings.    The  departure  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  her  escape  from  the 
Evil    One,    immediately    produces    war    in    heaven.      Michael 
arises  with  his  angels  to  smite  the  Dragon.     The  legend  of 
Apollo  destroying  the  serpent  Python  w^as  founded  on  this; 
and  hence  also  Michael  has  always  been  called  the  guardian 
soldier  of  the  Church.    On  this  also  is  founded  the  old  Greek 


26  A  Call  of  Attention 


mythos  of  the  combat  between  Bel-Ari-Phon  (the  Lion  Word 
of  God)  and  the  dragon-shaped  Chimera.  The  Serpent  pursues 
her  with  a  flood.  Water  here  prophetically  means  people — the 
idolatrous  and  wicked  who  serve  the  Serpent,  and  who  are 
ever  opposed  to  the  Spirit  of  God  and  persecute  her  Son  the 
Messenger,  but  who  are  eventually  swallowed  up  in  the  earth, 
that  is,  in  ruin  and  the  grave.  Yet  the  earth  helped  the 
woman,  that  is,  the  revealed  truth  of  God  succeeded  even 
amongst  men.  So  the  Hindus  teach  that,  when  God  appointed 
Endeer  (commonly  called  Indra)  and  his  descendants  to  be 
universal  Rajahs  of  the  world,  the  appointment  was  so  dis- 
tasteful to  the  Evil  One,  that  he  waged  war  against  them  and 
drove  them  away  from  heaven:  but  Buvani  Doorga  (the  Holy 
Spirit)  descended  to  the  earth,  and  restored  peace  and  beauty. 
What  has  been  commonly  called  the  Trimourti  Image  in  the 
Cave  of  Elephanta,  has  been  popularly  called  Brahm  in  his 
Creative,  Siva  in  his  Destroying  and  Veeshnu  in  his  Preserving 
character." 

(See  Koran  Chapter  XCIX.) 

''In  the  Name  of  the  Most  Merciful  God. 

''When  the  Earth  shall  be  shaken  by  an  earthquake ;  and  the 
Earth  shall  cast  forth  her  burdens ;  and  a  man  shall  say.  What 
aileth  her?  On  that  day  the  Earth  shall  declare  her  tidings, 
for  that  thy  Lord  will  inspire  Her.  On  that  day  men  shall  go 
forward  in  distinct  classes,  that  they  may  behold  their  works. 
And  whoever  shall  have  wrought  good  of  the  weight  of  an  ant, 
shall  behold  the  same.  And  whoever  shall  have  Avrought  evil 
of  the  weight  of  an  ant,  shall  behold  the  same." 

In  the  Book  of  the  Secrets  of  Enoch,  p.  92,  is  the  following 
passage: — "And  he  who  was  speaking  to  me  answered:  'be 
not  afraid,  Nir.  I  am  the  chief  captain  of  the  Lord.  The 
Lord  hath  sent  me,  and  lo !  I  will  take  thy  child  (Melchizedek) 
today,  and  will  go  with  him,  and  place  him  in  paradise  of 
Eden,  and  there  shall  he  be  for  ever.  And  when  the  twelfth 
generation  shall  be,  and  a  thousand  and  seventy  years  shall  be, 
in  that  generation  a  just  man  shall  be  born,  and  the  Lord 


A  Call  of  Attention  27 


shall  tell  him  to  come  out  upon  that  mountain  where  the  ark 
of  thy  brother  Noe  shall  stand,  and  he  shall  find  there  another 
Melchizedek  who  has  lived  there  seven  years  concealing  him- 
self from  the  people  who  worship  idols,  so  that  they  should 
not  slay  him,  and  he  shall  lead  him  forth,  and  he  shall  be 
priest,  and  the  first  king  in  the  town  of  Salem  after  the  fashion 
of  this  Melchizedek,  the  commencement  of  the  priests." 

We  read  in  the  New  Testament  that  Christ  was  crucified, 
dead  and  buried,  but  he  was  restored  to  life  on  the  third  day. 
In  another  place  it  stands  that  after  his  death,  he  was  among 
his  disciples,  but  in  concealment  for  forty  days,  after  which 
he  returned  to  heaven. 

In  the  Old  Testament  it  stands  that  Noah  was  concealed  in 
the  ark  on  Mount  Ararath,  for  a  period  of  time,  to  save  himself 
from  the  evil-doers,  but  after  the  indignation  was  over  he 
came  forth  and  showed  himself  and  established  the  truth. 
And  Moses  was  upon  the  mount  for  forty  days,  during  which 
time  the  children  of  Israel  had  joined  themselves  to  idolatry, 
but  when  he  came  down  he  restored  the  truth  again  to  the 
Israelits.  We  read  that  Elijah  hid  himself  from  the  idolatrous 
and  tyrannous  Ahab  king  of  Israel  for  a  while,  but  afterwards 
he  came  forth  and  slew  his  whole  congregation.  We  have  read 
how  David  hid  himself  from  Saul.  And  how  Jacob  hid  himself 
from  his  brother  Esau.  And  how  Joseph  was  separated  from 
his  brethren. 

Matthew  24.29  : — "Immediately  after  the  tribulation  of  those 
days  shall  the  sun  be  darkened,  and  the  moon  shall  not  give 
her  light,  and  the  stars  shall  fall  from  heaven,  and  the  powers 
of  the  heavens  shall  be  shaken."  See  also  Luke  21.25:  and 
Mark  13.24: — "But  in  those  days,  after  that  tribulation,  the 
sun  shall  be  darkened,  and  the  moon  shall  not  give  her  light." 
Isaiah,  13.10: — "For  the  stars  of  heaven  and  the  constellations 
thereof  shall  not  give  their  light:  the  sun  shall  be  darkened  in 
his  going  forth,  and  the  moon  shall  not  cause  her  light  to 
shine."  Revelation,  6.12-13 :—" And  I  beheld  when  he  had 
opened  the  sixth  seal,  and  lo,  there  was  a  great  earthquake; 


28  A  Call  of  Attention 


and  the  sun  became  black  as  sackcloth  of  hair,  and  the  moon 
became  as  blood;  and  the  stars  of  heaven  fell  unto  the  earth, 
even  as  a  fig  tree  casteth  her  untimely  figs,  when  she  is  shaken 
of  a  mighty  wind."  Surat'ul  Hykl,  p.  38: — "Say,  0  people, 
do  ye  desire  to  conceal  the  Beauty  of  the  Sun  by  the  veils  of 
your  souls,  or  to  prevent  the  Spirit  from  singing  in  this  pure 
and  illustrious  Breast?  Fear  God  and  oppose  not  Himself  and 
dispute  not  with  the  One  by  whose  command  the  Kaf  was 
created  and  connected  with  this  Great  Support.  Believe  in 
the  Ambassadors  of  God,  in  His  Dominion,  in  Himself  and  His 
Greatness,  and  come  not  near  those  who  have  denied  after  they 
have  believed,  and  who  have  taken  a  station  for  themselves 
in  their  own  lust ;  verily  are  they  not  infidels  ? ' ' 
Psalm  89.34-35-36-37:— 

"My  covenant  will  I  not  break, 
Nor  alter  the  thing  that  is  gone  out  of  my  lips. 
Once  have  I  sworn  by  my  holiness : 
I  will  not  lie  unto  David: 
His  seed  shall  endure  for  ever. 
And  his  throne  as  the  sun  before  me. 
It  shall  be  established  for  ever  as  the  moon. 
And  as  the  faithful  witness  in  the  sky." 

In  The  Journal  of  the  Royal  Asiatic  Society  for  1892,  pp. 
324-5,  is  the  following  Babi  Poem. 

(The  text  trans,  by  E.  G.  Browne.) 

"Good  news,  O  apparitions  of  holiness,  for  the  Beauty  of  God 
is  divulged ! 

0  Zephyr !  convey  to  the  quickened  of  heart  a  summons  to  his 
presence ! 

Ho !  ye  peoples  who  expectantly  await  the  Grace  of  the  Mighty 
King, 

The    glorious    Moon    is   publicly    apparent,   l-esplendent    and 
beautiful. 

The  Apparition  of  the  Eternal  hath  appeared  to  set  up  the 
standard  of  the  Beyan ; 


A  Call  of  Attention  29 


Exalted  beyond  the  conception  of  worldlings  fancy  is  the  Most 

Holy  Ralm  of  Power. 
That  Signless  King  hath  sat  on  the  throne  of  majesty,  and 

state ; 
He  hath  thus  greeted  the  sufferers  of  affliction : — 0  band  who 

pretend  to  (my)  love ! 
When   anyone   treads   my   path   I   will   cry   to   him,   that   he 

may   know. 
That  whosoever  becomes  enamoured  of  me  shall  not  escape 

suffering  and  sorrow. 
Should  anyone  not  obey  me,  not  take  hold  of  the  rope  of 

my  protection, 
I  will  drive  him  far  from  my  presence,  I  will   give  him  in 

my  wrath  to  the  wind  of  Not  (being). 
I  am  Eternal :    I  am  from  the  World  of  the  Everlasting :  I  am 

One :  I  am  from  the  Land  of  the  Unlimited : 
I  am  come  after  the  children  of  the  Spirit,  and  unto  me  do  they 

advance. 
Kindlings  of  the  Fire  of  my  Will !  Lo,  am  I  not  your  Lord? 
Pass  to  the  place   of  the  holy  ones;   hear  the   shrill  cry   of 

'Yea!  Yea!' 
I  am  that  Manifestation  of  the  All-Protecting!  I  am  that  Ark 

of  Safety! 
I  am  that  Impersonal  Personality,  and  I  have  appeared  in  my 

Glory ! 
I  am  the  uplifted  Tree  of  Life !  I  am  the  Hidden  and  Apparent 

Fruit ! 
I  am  the  King  of  the  Kings  of  the  Beyan,  and  by  me  is  the 

Beyan  exalted ! 
O  witnesses  of  my  fiery  Apparition !  Hasten  toward  my  country ! 
Make  your  heads  and  lives  my  sacrifice ;  for  I  am  the  Monarch 

of  Kerbela ! 

All  those  people  who  have  studied  the  early  histories  of  the 
Babism  can  plainly  see  that  this  poem  belongs  to  the  True 
Manifestation,  for  his  Names  and  Attributes  are  shining  forth 
from  every  line  thereof. 


30  A  Call  of  Attention 


We  will  now  go  and  see  from  whence  the  Truth  is  going 
to  come  to  re-build  Zion  or  Jerusalem  "the  religion  of  God," 
if  it  is  from  Cyprus  or  not. 

The  Encyclopedia  Americana,  vol.  14: — "Shittim  Wood.  See 
Kittim."  Vol.  4 :— ' '  Chittim.  SeeKittim."  Vol.  9  :— "Kittim 
or  Chittim,  a  term  of  Biblical  origin  for  the  inhabitants  of  the 
island  of  Cyprus,  derived  from  the  important  town  of  Kition 
or  Cition,  the  modern  Lanarca.  Vol.  5: — -"The  forests  (of 
Cyprus  or  Shittim  Wood)  were  formerly  very  extensive,  and 
in  ancient  times  yielded  wood  much  valued  by  the  Phoenicians 

for  shipbuilding It  is  remarkable  what  Cyprus  was 

celebrated  in  antiquity  for  its  forests,  which  not  only  clothed 
the  whole  of  its  mountain  ranges,  but  covered  the  entire  central 
plain  with  a  dense  mass,  so  that  it  was  with  difficulty  that  the 
land  could  be  cleared  for  cultivation." 

The  New  International  Encyclopedia,  vol.  15 : — ' '  Shittim 
Wood,  the  wood  of  which  the  ark  of  the  covenant  was  made 
(Ex.  25.10: — Deut.  10.3: — ).  The  wood  is  exceedingly  hard 
and  well  suited  for  furniture.     It  is  not  attacked  by  insects." 

Vol.  5: — "Cypriotes,  Sipri-ots  (from  Lat.  Cyprius,  Cyprian, 
from  Cyprus;  Gk.  Kumpos,  Kypros,  Cyprus;  Turk,  Kibris). 
Natives  or  inhabitants  of  Cyprus  (q.  v.)  Since  there  appears 
to  have  existed  at  least  as  early  as  B.  C.  4000  an  indigenous 
civilization  in  the  island  of  Cyprus,  the  creative  and  stimula- 
tive influences  of  which  are  discovered  all  over  the  eastern 
Mediterranean,  the  relationship  of  its  ancient  inhabitants  is  a 
question  of  great  importance.  The  idea  that  they  were  simple 
Semitic  Phoenicians  is  being  abandoned,  since  the  civilization 
of  the  latter  may  very  well  have  been  derived  from  Cyprus, 
and  not  vice  versa.  Some  of  the  latest  authorities,  like  Ohne- 
falsch-Richter  and  Sergi,  regard  the  autocthonous  civilization 
of  Cyprus  as  belonging,  with  the  prehistoric  Egyptian,  to  the 
Afro-Mediterranean  or  'Afro-European'  culture-centre,  and  its 
originators  physically  to  the  North  African  white  race.  Asiatic 
influence  as  such  is  later.  In  ancient  times  Cyprus  supplied 
the  Greek  Monarchs  of  Egypt  with  timber  for  their  fleets." 


A  Call  of  Attention  31 


(Max  Ohnefalsch-Richter  Kypros,  the  Bible  and  Homer,  pp. 
110-111:)  speaking  about  Cyprus  he  says: — ''In  the  next  sec- 
tion we  will  discuss  these  worships,  which  have  left  their  traces 
in  the  Homeric  Poems  and  the  Bible,  and  of  which  Kyprus  was 
one  of  the  most  active  seats,  if  not  indeed  the  chief  focus." 
On  page  147,  he  describes  one  of  his  discovered  relics  thus : — 
''The  crescent  moon  above  the  Ashera,  and  the  radiate  sun 
above  the  Masseba."  (p.  154.  Fig.  156.)  has  the  following 
description: — "Above  an  altar  of  columnar  form  float  the 
radiate  sun  and  the  crescent  moon.  Behind  the  priestly  cele- 
brant rise  the  holy  palm  in  front  of  which  a  dog  appears  to 
be  devouring  the  offal  from  the  victim.  To  the  right  of  the 
altar  a  rampant  Avinged  sphinx  rests  its  forepaws  against  the 
first  line  of  the  inscription  in  just  the  same  manner  as  the  dog 
in  the  Cyprian  group  places  his  on  the  column,  pp.  175-6. 
(Josh.  4.9:)  What  we  are  told  here,  therefore,  is  hoAv  Joshua 
erected  in  the  midst  of  Jordan  tAvelve  stones,  which  were  evi- 
dently twelve  large  ones  of  regular  shape,  from  the  river  bed, 
and  had  them  set  upright  on  their  ends,  exactly  as  the  ancient 
Cypriotes  at  Tamassos  in  the  second  millennium  B.  C.  placed 
the  pillars  on  the  graves  of  Lamberti  hill,  just  as  Jacob  placed 
the  pillar  on  the  grave  of  Rachel.  We  are  next  told  of  the 
size  and  weight  of  the  twelve  stones,  which  the  twelve  Israel- 
ites, corresponding  to  the  twelve  tribes,  carried  on  their  shoul- 
ders from  the  Jordan  to  Gilgal  and  erected  there.  It  was 
possible,  therefore,  for  a  strong  man  to  carry  one  of  these 
stones  on  his  shoulders.  The  stones  which  the  Cypriotes  had 
carried  from  the  neighbouring  river  Pidias  near  Tamassos  up 
to  the  hill  of  Lamberti,  were  as  a  rule  of  this  size  and  weight. 
Only  a  few  were  still  heavier.  I  tested  this  by  means  of  my 
workmen,  as  they  carried  these  pillars  for  me  on  their  shoul- 
ders to  the  convent  of  Hagios  Heraklides  at  the  foot  of  the  hill. 

"In  addition  to  these  Masseba  from  the  river  bed.  we  heard 
of  others  which  were  erected  on  Mount  Ebal.  They  were  to  be 
covered  Avith  plaster,  and  to  have  all  the  works  of  the  law  of 
Moses  very  plainly  written  upon  them.     Moreover  an  altar  of 


32  A  Call  of  Attention 


unhewn  stones,  Avhich  had  not  been  prepared  with  iron  tools, 
was  erected. 

"We  are  thus  able  to  learn  precisely  the  nature  of  the  ]Masse- 
both  permitted  in  the  worship  of  Yahve,  they  were  either 
simple,  unadorned  stones,  unhewn  fragments,  stones  found  m 
the  river  bed  without  any  ornament  or  inscription.,  like  the 
stones  from  Bethel,  Galed,  Bethlehem  and  from  the  foot  of 
Sinai,  or  the  simple  hewn  and  inscribed  stones,  tablets,  pillars 
or  columns  without  any  figures  or  ornamental  design. 

"It  is  a  remarkable  coincidence,  that  in  the  same  year  (1887) 
both  Stade  in  his  history  of  the  people  of  Israel  (i.  p.  459)  and 
Perrot  in  the  fourth  volume  of  his  History  or  art  'La  Judee' 
(p.  385 — Fig.  203)  gave  the  same  Cyprio-Phoenician  inscribed 
monument  (my  Plate  LXXX,  5)  in  order  to  illustrate  the  Jew- 
ish Masseba  of  the  Bible.  Yahve,  the  God  of  Israel,  therefore 
permitted  and  required  the  erection  of  simple  pillars,  and 
originally  also  the  planting  of  trees  by  the  altar.  It  was  like- 
wise permissible,  or  even  compulsory,  to  erect  inscribed  stones. 
We  learn  further  that  both  the  Hebrews  and  the  Cypriotes 
w^ere  in  the  same  habit  of  setting  up  simple  stones  from  the 
river  bed." 

The  Bible  also  teaches  that  the  Restorer  and  the  Substance 
to  re-build  Zion  or  Jerusalem  (i.  e.  God's  Religion)  is  going 
to  come  from  Chittim,  Shittim,  Kittim  or  Cyprus.  Exodus, 
25.10: — -"And  they  shall  make  an  ark  of  shittim  wood:  two 
cubits  and  a  half  shall  be  the  length  thereof,  and  a  cubit  and 
a  half  the  breadth  thereof,  and  a  cubit  and  a  half  the  height 
thereof."  Ex.  27.1 : — "And  thou  shalt  make  an  altar  of  shittim 
wood,  five  cubits  long,  and  five  cubits  broad;  the  altar  shall 
be  foursquare:  and  the  height  thereof  shall  be  three  cubits." 
Ex.  26.15: — "And  thou  shalt  make  boards  for  the  tabernacle 
of  shittim  wood  standing  up."  See  also,  Ex.  25.5  to  28,  26.37, 
37.1  to  25,  38.1  to  6,  and  25.23:— "Thou  shalt  also  make  a 
table  of  shittim  wood." 

So  we  see  that  the  substance  to  build  the  holy  things  with, 
is  going  to  be  taken  out  of  the  island  of  Shittim  or  Cj^prus. 


A  Call  of  Attention  33 


Joshua,   2.1:— !^" And  Joshua,  the   son   of  Nun.  sent   out   of 
Shittim  two  men  to  spy  secretly,  saying,  Go  view  the  land,  even 
Jericho.  And  they  went,  and  came  into  an  harlots  house,  named 
Rahab,  and  lodged  there."     Joshua,  3.1: — "And  Joshua  rose 
early  in  the  morning;  and  they  removed  from  Shittim,  and 
came  to  Jordan,  he  and  all  the  children  of  Israel,  and  lodged 
there  before  they  passed  over. ' '    Numbers,  24.23-24-25  : — ' '  And 
he  took  up  his  parable,  and  said,  Alas,  who  shall  live  Avhen  God 
doeth  this!  And  ships  shall  come  from  the  coast  of  Chittim. 
and  shall  afflict  Asshur,  and  shall  afflict  Eber,  and  he  also  shall 
perish  for  ever.    And  Balaam  rose  up,  and  went  and  returned 
to  his  place :  and  Balak  also  went  his  way."    Numbers,  25.1 : — 
''And  Israel  abode  in  Shittim,  and  the  people  began  to  commit 
whoredom  with  the  daughters  of  Moab."    Isaiah.  23-1 :— "The 
burden  of  Tyre.     Howl,  ye  ships  of  Tarshish :  for  it  is  laid 
waste,  so  that  there  is  no  house,  no  entering  in :  from  the  land 
of  Chittim  it  is  revealed  to  them."     Daniel,  11.30:— "For  the 
ships  of  Chittim  shall  come  against  him :  therefore  he  shall  be 
grieved,  and  return,  and  have  indignation  against  the  holy 
covenant:  so  shall  he  do:  he  shall  even  return,  and  have  in- 
telligence with  them  that  forsake  the  holy  covenant."     Jere- 
miah, 2.9-10:— "Wherefore  I  will  yet  plead  with  you,  saith  the 
Lord,  and  with  your  children's  children  will  I  plead.     For 
pass  over  the  isles  of  Chittim,  and  see :  and  send  unto  Kedar 
and  consider  diligently,  and  see  if  there  be  such  a  thing 
Ezekiel,  27.5-6 :—" They  have  made  all  thy  ship's  boards  of 
fir  trees  of  Siner:  they  have  taken  cedars  from  Lebanon  to 
make  masts  for  thee.    Of  the  oaks  of  Basham  have  they  made 
thine   oars;   the   company   of   the   Ashurites   have   made   thy 
benches  of  ivory,  brought  out  of  the  isles  of  Chittim."  Michah, 
6  5: — '^0  my  people,  remember  now  what  Balak  king  of  Moab 
<3onsulted,  and  what  Balaam  the  son  of  Boer  answered  him 
from  Shittim  unto  Gilgal;  that  ye  may  know  the  righteous- 
ness of  the  Lord."     Joel,  3.18:— "And  it  shall  come  to  pass 
in  that  day,  that  the  mountain  shall  drop  down  new  wine,  and 
the  hills  shall  flow  with  milk,  and   all  the  rivers  of  Judah 


?  J 


34  A  Call  of  Attention 


shall  flow  with  waters,  and  a  fountain  shall  come  forth  of  the 
house  of  the  Lord,  and  shall  water  the  valley  of  Chittim." 
In  the  book  of  Job,  Cyprus  is  called  ' '  The  Island  of  the  Inno- 
cent." Job,  22.30: — "He  shall  deliver  the  island  of  the  inno- 
cent: and  it  is  delivered  by  the  pureness  of  thine  hands." 

In  ''The  Book  of  God"  vol.  iii,  p.  763,  Cyprus  is  called  "The 
Island  of  the  Blessed:" — "We  were  conducted,"  says  Lucian, 
"to  the  City  of  the  Island  of  the  Blessed,  to  assist  at  their 
feasts;  at  our  entrance  we  were  ravished  to  behold  a  City  of 
Gold,  (The  Holy  City)  encompassed  by  walls  of  emerald,  whilst 
its  pavement  was  inlaid  with  ebony  and  ivory.  The  temples 
were  of  rubies  and  diamonds,  having  large  altars  raised  upon 
one  single  precious  stone,  on  which  hecatombs  were  seen  to 
smoke.  Its  seven  gates  were  all  of  cinnamon,  surrounded  by  a 
moat  of  sweetscented  lustral  water  an  hundred  yards  broad, 
and  as  deep  as  it  was  necessary  to  bathe  at  one's  ease.  The 
public  baths  are  of  admirable  artifice,  which  are  heated  by 
nothing  but  faggots  of  cinnamon.  The  edifice  itself  is  of 
crystal,  the  basons,  or  lavacra,  are  all  large  vessels  of  por- 
celain filled  with  dew.  The  blessed  ones  are  incorporeal  and 
impalpable ;  they  never  grow  old,  but  enjoy  perpetual  youth 
and  vigour.  Of  all  the  seasons  they  know  none  but  the  spring, 
and  feel  no  other  wind  but  the  zephyr.  The  earth  is  covered 
with  flowers  and  fruits  all  the  year  round,  which  are  gathered 
every  month.  There  are  three  hundred  and  sixty-five 
fountains  of  fresh  water,  as  many  of  honey,  and  four  hundred, 
but  smaller  than  the  others,  of  sweet  unguents  with  several 
rivers  of  milk  and  wine.  They  keep  their  feasts  without  the 
city  in  the  Elysian  Fields,  under  the  shade  of  a  wood  which 
surrounds  it,  sitting  upon  beds  of  flowers,  and  have  their 
refections  brought  by  the  winds.  They  are  at  no  pains  to 
make  garlands,  for  the  little  birds  Avhich  hop  round  them  sing- 
ing, scatter  floAvers  upon  them,  cropt  from  the  neighboring 
meadows.  They  never  cease  singing  during  the  banquet,  and 
rehearsing  the  most  pleasing  verses.  Their  dances  are  per- 
formed by  boys  and  virgins,  and  their  musicians  are  Eunomus, 


A  Call  of  Attention  35 


Arion,  Anacreon,  and  Stesichorjis.  When  they  have  finished 
their  songs  a  second  choir  of -musicians  appears,  composed  of 
swans  and  nightingales,  which  with  the  zephyrs  make  up  a 
delightful  concert.  But  what  contributes  most  to  the  felicity 
of  the  blessed  is  that  there  are  two  springs,  one  of  laughter, 
and  the  other  of  joy,  of  which  each  person  drinking  before 
he  sits  down,  is  filled  with  hilarity  for  the  rest  of  the  day." 

In  ''The  Book  of  God"  vol.  iii,  p.  393:— "In  connection  with 
this,  the  ancient  Peruvians  shewed  a  small  island  in  a  lake, 
where  they  believed  the  Sun  (the  messenger)  to  have  once 
hid  himself,  and  to  have  been  thus  preserved  from  a  great 
danger  which  awaited  him."  Volume  ii,  pp.  72-73:  Is  alluded 
to  an  island  called  "The  Isle  of  Man"  where  a  great  messen- 
ger dwelt  in  a  cavern  for  some  while,  and  thus  escaped  a 
great  danger. 

"We  find  also  in  "A  Travellers  Narrative"  an  utterance  by 
the  Bab  himself  concerning  an  "Island"  and  some  prophesies 
which  is  going  to  happen  in  the  future  when  the  time  comes. 
Page  177:— "They  [the  Babis]  shall  descend  from  the  Green 
Isle  unto  the  foot  of  the  mountain  of  Zawra,  and  shall  slay 
about  twelve  thousand  of  the  Turks." 

' '  Thy  sun  shall  no  more  go  down ; 
Neither  shall  thy  moon  withdraw  itself : 
For  the  Lord  shall  be  thine  everlasting  light. 
And  the  days  of  thy  mourning  shall  be  ended." 

—Isaiah,  60.20: 

I  will  advise  everyone  who  is  an  honest  seeker  after  the 

Truth,  to  study  impartially  the  early  histories  of  Babism,  for  to 

get  a  real  idea  of  its  meaning,  as  well  as  the  events  which 

took  place  in  its  early  days.    If  you  do  this  honestly,  you  will 

get  an  entirely  different  view  concerning  the  Bab   and  his 

religion. 

Yours  very  truly, 

AUGUST  J.  STENSTRAND. 

(Address  Route  4,  Box  37.) 

Naperville,  Ills.,  February  13th,  1907. 


36  A  Call  of  Attention 


The  following  books  in  the  !^nglish  language,  are  some  of  the 
histories  of  the  Babi  Religion: 

1.  '*A  Travellers  Narrative"  written  to  illustrate  the  Episode 

of  the  Bab.    Translated  by  Edward  G.  Browne,  M.A., 
M.B.    (Pub.  Cambridge,  England,  1891.) 

2.  ''Tarikh-i-Jadid"  the  New  History  of  the  Bab.    Translated 

by  E.  G.  Browne.     (Pub.  Cambridge,  England,  1893.) 

3.  ''Journal  of  the  Royal  Asiatic  Society"  for  1889,  1892  and 

1897.    By  E.  G.  Browne. 


PHOTOMOUNT 
PAMPHLET  BINDER 

Manu/aelured  by 

GAYLORD  BROS.  Inc. 

Syracu«*>  N.  Y. 

Stockton,  Calif. 


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